Discovering Utama Spice

**contains PR products**

We all love discovering new beauty brands to try out, especially when they contain 100% natural ingredients that are going to really look after our skin and hair. Todays brand, Utama Spice is exactly that and more. They reached out to me a few weeks ago offering to send me some of their products to try out, how could I resist?!

I'm going to chat with you a bit about the brand first, then dive into each of the goodies they kindly sent over.

About Utama Spice

Utama Spice comes to us all the way from Bali, they use traditional, ancient Balinese herbal knowledge to whip up their creations, using 100% natural ingredients as mentioned above.

Reading through the about page over on the website, I discovered that though they have a successful brand, its only a small team working behind the scenes. This team is made up of young, local women from surrounding villages, some of these ladies have been working together since it very first started. They have built up an incredible amount of knowledge in every part of what makes Utama Spice so special.

I love that they also work towards supporting local farms who produce many of the raw ingredients used in their products. They have a huge respect to the environment, working in ways to minimise their impact on it.

Sounds fab so far, right? Wait until you hear about their products!

Senja Hair Oil

Made with:

- Virgin Coconut Oil

- Cananga Flower Oil

- Patchouli Oil

- Lavender Oil

To condition the hair and scalp, repairing damage and dryness.

I don't tend to use oils in my hair as they can make it quite greasy, however, it has been very dry lately due to frosty cold weather and central heating so this arrived in perfect time! The first thing I had to do was fill a jug with hot water and pop this bottle in to return the oil to liquid form, it took only a couple of minutes and I was good to go.

The label recommends 5-10 drops, and as my hair is quite long (and dry) at the moment, I went for the full 10 drops. Start massaging into the scalp and roots, working the oil gently down to the tips. I left mine in whilst I had a bath, tying the hair up into a top knot.

If you love the scent of essential oils you are going to enjoy this product no end. For me, the Patchouli oil stood out amongst the rest, I found it very relaxing and warming, a pleasure to use.

I know everybody has their own ways of using hair oils, some like to leave it in overnight, or even use after washing, but I prefer to leave the oil in for half an hour tops, then wash hair as normal. There was no residue left over after washing like I have found with other hair oils, and thankfully my hair wasn't left feeling heavy or greasy.

A great introduction to the brand!

If you wish to try this for yourself, it can be found HERE, it is an American site so the prices are in dollars, for a 100ml it costs $9.99 (approx £7)

Cocoa Love Body Butter

Made with:

- Virgin Coconut Oil

- Cocoa Seed Butter

- Vanilla Pod

- Cinnamon Bark

Hydrating butter great for sensitive or sun damaged skin.

This reminds me very much of a particular brand that shall not be named and it's 'Shea Butter' tinned product, only this one is completely cruelty free and less pennies - yay! It works in exactly the same way, you can use it all over the body, perhaps not the face, to really moisturise and repair dry skin.

It comes in a solid state, so to make application easier, I use my hairdryer on it's lowest heat setting to quickly warm up the top and begin to melt the butter. If you do this - make sure you don't hold the hairdryer too close! Doing this makes the butter spread further in my opinion, which is in turn going to make the product last longer.

The Cocoa Love body butter smells quite sweet, almost like chocolate, which makes it even more appealing to use. I have been enjoying applying this on an evening after a bath, it's very moisturising and nourishing, just what the skin needs in the weather conditions we've been having.

Citrus Delight Body Mist

Made with:

- Aqua

- Ethanol

- Agar

- Grapefruit Peel Oil

- Lemon Peel Oil

-Orange Peel Oil

- Tangerine Peel Oil

Spritz for a zingy boost to recharge and uplift

I love a good body mist, and this particular one smells gorgeous! Very fruity, the orange/tangerine oils jump out the most to me, it certainly is very refreshing and gives you the pick-me-up feeling when needed.

It doesn't leave any residue on your skin (or clothes!), it just cools the skin leaving that wonderful fresh scent. I've been using this constantly since it arrived so I can tell you now that it's not going to last me very long haha!

Green Leaf Face Scrub

Made with:

- Rice Powder

- Guava Leaf Powder

- Jackfruit Leaf Powder

This product along with the face mask was not what I was expecting! They both arrive in powder form, which is a completely new concept to me. Not in a bad way either - and I actually found them both very easy to use.

I used half a teaspoon of powder mixed with literally a couple of drops of cold water. I also used a medium sized fluffy makeup brush to apply it to my face and swirl it around as it is very watery and drippy. It says on the tub that it turns into a paste, but it is a very thin paste you're working with.

The scrub is very gentle, which is perfect if you have sensitive skin like me. I've been steering clear of face scrubs as I was worried that it would just aggravate the red patches on my cheeks, but this has been just what I needed. Gentle exfoliation that leaves my skin feeling softer than before.

It does smell quite herbal, which I really don't mind as obviously it is all natural ingredients including the Guava and Jackfruit leaves. These two ingredients are a match made in heaven, the Guava is rich in Vitamin C and is believed to banish wrinkles, acne, and other blemishes, whilst the Jackfruit works to slow ageing, provides extra hydration and nourishment for the skin, and is also rich in Vitamin A.

Temu-Temu Face Mask

Made with:

- Clay

- Temu Lawak Root Extract

anti-ageing and gentle cleansing

As mentioned above, this product comes in powder form too. I have been staying pretty loyal to my beloved Sand & Sky mask but this has been a nice break in routine. I've used the Temu-Temu face mask a couple of times now, and I'm really enjoying it!

For this I use a full teaspoon sized amount mixed with a couple of drops of water. Try not to be too heavy handed with the water, as this really is a light, watery paste like the scrub. I used a foundation brush to apply the 'paste' all over my face, then left to dry. As it is a clay mask, you can tell when it's ready to be rinsed off as it dries to a lighter shade and slightly hardens.

This mask, like the scrub, does smell quite herbal. The Temulawak used is believed to be anti-acne/antibacterial, which again is great for my current skin type. Anything that is going to help me along the way and keep those pesky spots at bay is welcomed into my routine with open arms!

Something I noticed about this mask which is very similar to my Sand & Sky mask, is that it doesn't leave your skin feeling sucked dry like some clay masks can. Obviously it's still important to moisturise your skin as usual, but you don't feel like you have to rush and grab for one straight away for instant relief.

For a 50g tub, this mask will cost $9.99 (approx £7)

UPDATE (2nd April) - After using this product a couple more times I have found that the consistency of this mask can be made much thicker if desired by using slightly more product and slightly less water! It’s just taken me a few goes to suss out my perfect consistency haha!

Supa Dupa Begone Bug Incense Sticks

Made with:

- Bamboo Stick

- Coconut Charcoal

- Flowers

- Barks

- Herbs

- Oils

- Nuts & spices

I have never used incense sticks before, so I'm looking forward to trying these out in the warmer weather when we have all the windows and doors open. We have a pond too which attracts little annoying flies so I'm interested to see if these will keep them from moseying on into the house.

These incense sticks are made using locally sourced herbs, spices and essential oils. They are also wrapped in recycled paper and handmade with fair trade and Tri Hita Karana principles - which if you want to know more about visit the website!

I would just like to say a huge thank you to Utama Spice for sending me this wonderful box of goodies, it has been a pleasure trying them all out, and I will continue to enjoy them. What a fabulous brand you are, with amazing principles and work ethics. Others should take a leaf out of your book!